Alanta
Encyclopedia
Alanta is a small town in Molėtai district municipality
, Lithuania
. It is the administrative seat of the Alanta Elderate. According to a census in 2001, Alanta had 464 residents. It is situated at the crossing of two roads: Molėtai
–Anykščiai
and Utena
–Alanta–Ukmergė
. The town's St. Jacob's church was built in 1909.
. The name of the river is derived from an ancient Lithuanian
verb "alėti", which means 'to stream merrily' or 'to run'.
granted Alanta to Kristinas Astikas
to commend him for his aid in defeating Švitrigaila
in the Lithuanian Civil War (1431–1435). In the 16th century, the town's Catholic church was built, and in 1581 the Grand Duke of Lithuania Stefan Batory
gifted Alanta to Gáspár Békés
, a Hungarian general. After 1598 the town belonged to Radziwiłł family and from 1828 until the World War I
it belonged to the Pamarnacki family. From the 18th century to the Lithuanian revolt in 1863
Alanta had a parish school.
Alanta suffered heavily from many wars, including Napoleon's invasion of the Russian Empire, World War I
and World War II
, because of its location on the crossing of two important roads.
Alanta has a rare, surviving wooden synagogue.
The palace of the estate, which houses a library and an ethnographic museum, has been renovated and its park trimmed. The founder of the Alanta library, Elvyra Satkūnaitė, was named "The best librarian of Lithuania" in 1996.
Moletai district municipality
The Molėtai district municipality is one of 60 municipalities in Lithuania.Molėtai is known for its many lakes. There are about 220 lakes in the district and they cover about 7% of the total territory. Since it is only about 60 km north of Vilnius, many Vilnians own summer homes there. The area...
, Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
. It is the administrative seat of the Alanta Elderate. According to a census in 2001, Alanta had 464 residents. It is situated at the crossing of two roads: Molėtai
Moletai
Molėtai is a city in north eastern Lithuania. One of the oldest settlements in Lithuania, it is a popular resort for the inhabitants of Vilnius. According to the 2001 census, it had 7,221 inhabitants....
–Anykščiai
Anykšciai
Anykščiai is a ski resort town in Lithuania, 20 miles west of Utena. The Roman Catholic Church of St. Matthias in Anykščiai is the tallest church in Lithuania, with spires measuring 79 meters in height.The city has a football club FK Anykščiai.-Name:...
and Utena
Utena, Lithuania
Utena is a city in north-east Lithuania. It is the administrative center of Utena district and Utena County. Utena is one of the oldest settlements of Lithuania. The name of the city is most probably derived from a hydronym. The name of the settlement has been known since 1261.Utena is an...
–Alanta–Ukmergė
Ukmerge
-Early history:Ukmergė was first mentioned as a settlement in 1333. It was essentially a wooden fortress that stood on a hill, near the confluence of the Vilkmergė River and the Šventoji River. Ukmergė was attacked by the Teutonic Knights and the Livonian Order in 1333, 1365, 1378, 1386, and even...
. The town's St. Jacob's church was built in 1909.
Etymology of the name
The name of the town is derived from the Alanta River, tributary of VirintaVirinta
Virinta is a river of Anykščiai district municipality, Utena County, northeastern Lithuania. It flows for 59.1 kilometres and has a basin area of 566.3 km².It is a tributary of the Šventoji River.-References:...
. The name of the river is derived from an ancient Lithuanian
Lithuanian language
Lithuanian is the official state language of Lithuania and is recognized as one of the official languages of the European Union. There are about 2.96 million native Lithuanian speakers in Lithuania and about 170,000 abroad. Lithuanian is a Baltic language, closely related to Latvian, although they...
verb "alėti", which means 'to stream merrily' or 'to run'.
History
In 1436, Sigismund KestutaitisSigismund Kestutaitis
Sigismund Kęstutaitis was the Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1432 to 1440. Sigismund was his baptismal name; Sigismund's pagan Lithuanian birth name is unknown. He was son of the Grand Duke of Lithuania Kęstutis and his wife Birutė....
granted Alanta to Kristinas Astikas
Kristinas Astikas
Kristinas Astikas was a leading Lithuanian noble and statesman of the Astikai family. Kristinas was a supporter and a companion of Vytautas the Great, his brother Sigismund Kestutaitis and nephew Casimir Jagiellon, he became the Castellan of Vilnius in 1419.Kristinas is mentioned in 1389 in the...
to commend him for his aid in defeating Švitrigaila
Švitrigaila
Švitrigaila Švitrigaila Švitrigaila (ca 1370 – 10 February 1452; was the Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1430 to 1432. He spent most of his life in largely unsuccessful dynastic struggles against his cousins Vytautas and Sigismund Kęstutaitis.-Struggle against Vytautas:...
in the Lithuanian Civil War (1431–1435). In the 16th century, the town's Catholic church was built, and in 1581 the Grand Duke of Lithuania Stefan Batory
Stefan Batory
Stephen Báthory was a Hungarian noble Prince of Transylvania , then King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania . He was a member of the Somlyó branch of the noble Hungarian Báthory family...
gifted Alanta to Gáspár Békés
Gáspár Bekes
Gáspár de Kornyath Bekes was a Hungarian noble who fought with Stephen Báthory for the throne of Transylvania after the death of John II Sigismund Zápolya in 1571...
, a Hungarian general. After 1598 the town belonged to Radziwiłł family and from 1828 until the World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
it belonged to the Pamarnacki family. From the 18th century to the Lithuanian revolt in 1863
January Uprising
The January Uprising was an uprising in the former Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth against the Russian Empire...
Alanta had a parish school.
Alanta suffered heavily from many wars, including Napoleon's invasion of the Russian Empire, World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, because of its location on the crossing of two important roads.
Alanta has a rare, surviving wooden synagogue.
Palace of Alanta estate